- Cutting down forests worsened ancient Mayan droughts.
- And (among other things) did for the Maya.
- And despite the Mayan end of the world being near, the French are revitalising agroforestry.
- The Financial Times wrote about One Acre Fund’s work to reduce agrobiodiversity in Kenya, then put it behind a paywall (for me). So One Acre Fund sprung it.
- School gardens continue to flourish in some places.
Nibbles: Bees, Honey, Sequipedalis, Website, Conference
- “Most people are not aware of the fact that 84% of the European crops are partially or entirely dependent on insect pollination.” Right. I could have sworn it was 82%.
- That’s not their main concern in Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve in India, where Honey is Life.
- I had no idea yardlong bean was really a cowpea. The genes say so.
- Crop Wild Relatives & Climate Change, a new website from the Global Crop Diversity Trust, with just the right number of RSS feeds.
- And if it’s conference information you’re after, previews from the ASA, CSSA and SSSA Annual meetings:
As ever, if you’re there and want an outlet, we’re here.
Brainfood: Lathyrus sativus, Leafy green porridge, iDArTs, Pungency, Earth ovens, Domestication, Recovery, Maize genomics
- Exploring the genetic diversity of Ethiopian grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.) using EST-SSR markers. They’re variable, especially in Gonder, and future collecting missions need to give “due attention to underrepresented regions”.
- Green leafy porridges: how good are they in controlling glycaemic response?. Pretty good, but the leafy greens may not be what you’re expecting.
- iDArTs: increasing the value of genomic resources at no cost. No cost for genotyping, that is; the analysis probably does cost.
- A versatile PCR marker for pungency in Capsicum spp. Beats having to taste each progeny plant, I suppose.
- Earth Ovens (Píib) in the Maya Lowlands: Ethnobotanical Data Supporting Early Use. The food preparation method is as old as the food itself; 3400-3000 bce.
- Patterns and processes in crop domestication: an historical review and quantitative analysis of 203 global food crops. Terrific, broad survey, worth more of a write-up.
- Changes in Avian and Plant Communities of Aspen Woodlands over 12 Years after Livestock Removal in the Northwestern Great Basin. Removing livestock leads to “recovery of biological integrity”. Because livestock are not integral to anything.
- Historical genomics of North American maize. Fascinating analysis indicates selection based on a limited set of ancestor lines, and “decreased diversity in the ancestry of individual lines”.
Nibbles: Conference, Debate, Review, Radio, Conserve, Film, Label, Threats, Subsidies, Academics, Backyard Breeder
- The 2nd Global Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change “Hunger for Action” (Hanoi, Vietnam).
- Barder and Kinder Debate London Health Summit and Food Security Policy, so we don’t have to!
- A review of a review of restoration ecology for ecosystem services. Ag?
- The Seed Underground: listen to a radio interview with US author Janisse Ray. Ag!
- Or, if that fails to excite, listen to Save the axolotl! Um, sure, but why? and tell us whether there’s any ag in that.
- There’s definitely ag in More than Honey, a new documentary movie.
- FDA slaps down misleading claims of fortification (in chocolate syrup)
- Cassava mosaic and banana bacterial wilt add to the food security woes of DR Congo.
- Rice growers get all the goodies, complain Sri Lankan vegetable growers.
- Ivorian agricultural scientists to open access to their research results.
- A backyard breeder documents his search for a better bean.
Agriculture and Nutrition: why can’t we all just get along?
The premise that the agriculture sector should also be a vehicle for improved nutrition is intuitive, but this sector often delivers neither good nutrition nor food security to the most vulnerable in the population.
IFPRI lays some cards on the table, from a study of Zambia.
Key lessons for improved intersectoral implementation include the role of advocacy in framing the problem in context and highlighting mutual gains for different sectors, to create the political will and working space for nutrition action; the importance of organizational arrangements, including convening or coordinating bodies with multisectoral credibility to facilitate mobilizing and resourcing power; and the importance of building not only technical but also strategic capacity to manage multisectoral relationships for improved nutrition outcomes. Ultimately, these solutions will have to be tailored to country contexts.